WILD LIFE IN CALIFORNIA 



61 



rocks. To me the transaction appeared a 

 flagrant act of theft. Up to that moment I 

 had looked upon the rider of the ball as being 

 the partner of the one pushing it. However, 

 the thought may nave oeen unjust to the 

 beetle, for in the beginning it may have been 

 the original discoverer of the strange morsel 

 of food and its action in clinging motionless to 

 the ball might have been a strategic act to 

 maintain possession of its property, defeating 

 the purpose of a dishonest and stronger kins- 

 man trying to rob it. Either way you view 

 the matter, the action of the bug in quietly 

 waiting until its opponent was far under- 

 ground preparatory to burying the ball, then 

 suddenly waking up and running off with the 

 prize while the other beetle was in such 

 position it could do nothing to retain it even 

 if it knew that the ball was being taken away, 

 was a remarkable display of cunning, call it 

 instinct, or intelligence, or what you may. 



The beetle having pushed the ball into a place 

 from which it seemed unable to remove it, I 

 picked up both the bug and ball and placed 

 them on some loose soil. The beetle lay quiet 

 simulating death for a few moments, after 

 which it "dug in" where it lay, making no 

 effort to take the ball with it nor did it re- 

 turn to the surface while I was there. I 

 watched for the other beetle to come out dur- 

 ing the hour I had the insects under observa- 

 tion, but it did not make an appearance. 



The next beetle to come under notice was 

 rolling a ball after the manner described in 

 the foregoing. It had no contestant for own- 

 ership. It was rolling the ball in the direc- 

 tion of the same spot of soft earth to which 

 the other beetle had rolled the ball of con- 

 tested ownership. When number two reached 

 the place, after overcoming several obstacles, 

 making a few stops for rest or inspection of 

 the route, it buried itself alongside the ball, 

 and in the course of a moment or so the ball 

 began to sink in the loose soil. It descended 

 slowly as if it were a substance sinking in a 

 fluid massi of a little less density, and Anally 

 disappeared. Like the Chinaman's description 

 of the electric car: "No pushee! No pullee! It 

 go all samee!" 



Number three was discovered in a rougher 

 piece of ground rolling its ball in the direc- 

 tion of the soft patch of soil. It was making 

 very slow progress, but exhibited remarkable 

 strength and good judgment in overcoming 

 the difficulties met with. Its actions in what 

 appeared to be stoppages for inspection of its 

 surroundings were the same as described for 

 the other beetles. After watching its slow 

 progress for some time I picked up both 

 beetle and its ball and put them down on the 



loose soil. The little fellow immediately dis- 

 appeared in the sandy earth but made no ef- 

 fort to take the ball below, neither did it 

 return for it while I remained on watch. See- 

 ing another of the beetles out on the hard 

 ground rambling around as if in search of a 

 ball I picked it up and placed it alongside of 

 the ball abandoned by number three. The 

 bug lay on its back as if dead for fully fif- 

 teen minutes. I then placed a leaf so to cover 

 both bug and ball. After a wait of a few 

 moments I removed the leaf and found the 

 beetle on top of the ball clasping it with out- 

 spread legs and feet. It remained in this 

 position eight or ten minutes, then slid off 

 and burrowed into the earth, leaving the ball 

 on the surface of the ground. I remained in the 

 vicinity for a half-hour, but there was no re- 

 appearance of any of the performers — the en- 

 tertainment, to my great regret, was over. 



On an occasion of a visit to the dry bed of 

 the stream flowing past our place in search 

 of insects we found all the damp places in- 

 habited by a small highly colored beetle 

 known as the Bombardier. The wing covers 

 were dark blue, while the thorax, head and 

 legs were red. We saw none of them until we 

 began to turn over the cobblestones; fre- 

 quently as many as half dozen were found 

 under one stone. They were extremely lively 

 and it required quick action to make a cap- 

 ture. This would be the time when the beetles 

 would display the remarkable peculiarity from 

 which they obtained their name of Bombar- 

 dier. As soon as one was caught it ejected 

 from its rear end a jet of fluid which upon 

 contact with the air turns to a gas and looks 

 like smoke. As the change is followed by a 

 tiny pop, the sound and "smoke" suggest the 

 explosion of a miniature bomb. Some of the 

 beetles were able to eject three to four 

 "bombs" with almost rapid fire effect. The 

 explosions were accompanied by a slight 

 smell somewhat offensive. Observers who have 

 dissected these insects say the fluid is con- 

 tained in a little sack located at the hind end 

 of the abdomen. It is used as a means of 

 defense when attacked by enemies. For in- 

 stance, when a larger beetle pursues it the 

 Bombardier throws a "bomb" in its face, and 

 in the smoke and confusion of the explosion 

 sometimes finds opportunity to escape. 



This beetle belongs to the genus Brachinus 

 of the Carabidae family. There are twenty- 

 six species known in North America. While 

 some seasons they are quite common if you 

 know where to look for them, at other times 

 a search of their habitats will not reveal a 

 single specimen. 



